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Bachmann coy on presidential plans

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Tea party favorite and Republican Rep.
Michele Bachmann is feeling pressure from the political calendar to
rush a decision on a White House bid and may announce her
intentions as early as May, one of her top advisers said Thursday.

Bachmann, a third-term congresswoman from Minnesota, could form
a presidential exploratory committee before two televised
Republican debates scheduled the first week of May, said Ed
Brookover, a Bachmann adviser.

"I'm not sure the debate is what's going to make our final
decision," he said. "Is it a factor? Yes."

Other Republicans familiar with Bachmann's thinking said all
signs point to a White House run. They insisted on anonymity to
discuss private conversations with Bachmann and her advisers.

For her part, Bachmann played coy.

Rep. Michele BachmannDarren McCollester/Getty Images

"I'm in for 2012 in that I want to be a part of the
conversation in making sure that President (Barack) Obama only
serves one term, not two, because I want to make sure that we get
someone who's going to be making the country work again. That's
what I'm in for," Bachmann told ABC News.

"But I haven't made a decision yet to announce, obviously, if
I'm a candidate or not, but I'm in for the conversation."

Bachmann spokesman Doug Sachtleben would only say the
congresswoman would make a decision about a White House run by
summer.

Bachmann was in Iowa on Wednesday courting evangelical
home-school advocates, and was being escorted around the state by
state Sen. Kent Sorenson, who told The Associated Press he would
run her political operation in the state if she enters the race.
Bachmann's allies have been visiting office space around Des Moines
for a potential headquarters and have consulted with veterans of
past caucuses about operatives and consultants who are still
available.

Bachmann is a strong fundraiser; she collected a whopping $13
million for a re-election bid she won handily by 13 percentage
points. She helped candidates and committees in Iowa, New Hampshire
and South Carolina - the traditional early nominating states -
raise cash.

While she has no formal organization in any of those states, her
appearances have generated enthusiasm among the party's
conservative base. She has twice met with Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad
and is scheduled to appear at an Iowa conference for conservatives
this weekend, organized by Republican Rep. Steve King.

The Republican presidential field has been slow to form compared
to past election cycles as familiar names such as Sarah Palin mull
bids and other potential hopefuls like Mitt Romney and Newt
Gingrich work behind the scenes on their candidacies. The harsh
media spotlight and the expense of a full-scale campaign operation
deterred Republicans from early announcements in the expected race
against Obama, who is certain to raise hundreds of millions of
dollars.

Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty took an initial step this
week, creating an exploratory committee.

In an interview with the AP on Thursday, freshman Sen. Rand
Paul, R-Ky., said he would seek the presidency if his father, Texas
Rep. Ron Paul, doesn't.

Bachmann's sudden rise has grown out of frequent appearances on
cable TV shows and a propensity to make provocative statements that
cut through the political clutter, even if they're not always on
the mark. She helped found a House Tea Party Caucus last summer,
which strengthened her ties to the day's hottest political movement
of activists who rail against spending, regulations and taxes.

This month, she flubbed basic history, telling New Hampshire
activists they were from the "the state where the shot was heard
around the world in Lexington and Concord." The Revolutionary
War's first shots came next door in Massachusetts.

Earlier this year, she also mistakenly praised the nation's
founding fathers, who she said "worked tirelessly until slavery
was no more."

In January, she gave a Tea Party Express response to Obama's
State of the Union address. Complete with charts and a stern
message about spending excesses, the televised speech was
remembered mostly for a technical glitch that had Bachmann looking
into a different camera. "Saturday Night Live" mocked it;
Bachmann made joked about it during her next big speech.

Bachmann, 54, has five children with husband Marcus, a
therapist. On top of raising her own children, Bachmann has also
parented 23 foster children.